Game apparatus.



W. H. JAMER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 1914.

Patented July 20, 1915.

Inventor:

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WILLIAM H. JAMER, or BROOKLYN,,1\TEW YORK, assienoa 'ro EMMA K. JAMER, or nooKL n, NEW YORK.

GAME ArrnnArUs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2Q, 1915.

Application fi led met 7., 1214. Serial no. 823,062.

To all whom it may concern: v I.

Be it known that I, 'JIIjniAMH. JAMER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn of the city of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the fol. lowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. I

This invention relates to a game, played with cards in which the cards bear illustrations representing various transactions commonly encountered in the real estatebusiness. y y

The game is intended not only to be dis verting and amusing but instructive as well, and while of particular interest to those connected with and familiar with real estate transactions, it is intended tobe of a character to insure its general popularity. H

The game will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated one of each of, the cards em ployed. 1 v 4 U Tn the drawings Figure l showsthe face of a card illustrating an appointment, as between a real estate agent and a prospective purchaser, the term being abbreviated by the letter A. Fig. 2 represents the agent and purchaser visiting thev property, the term being abbreviated bythe letters V P. Fig. 3 represents the executionof the contract of sale of the property, the term being abbreviated by the letter C. Fig. i represents the deposit of money on account'of'the purchase, the term being abbreviated by the letter D. Fig. 5 represents the sale of the.

property, the term beingabbreviated by the letter S. Fig. 6 represents the house purchased, the term being abbreviated by the letter H. Fig. 7 represents the mortgage on the house, the term being abbreviated by the letter M. y

Before proceeding with the description of the manner in which this improved game is played, it is desirable that the iterms employed should be defined, inasmuch as these terms are, in accordance withthe theory of the game, closely associated with the real estate business and might not otherwise be understood in their application to a card,

game. I I

Terms cmploycd.ln this card game of real estate the person who deals the cards is hereinafter called the broker. The players or participants, including the broker, are known as salesmen. The single card turned face upward at the various stages of the game, as will appear hereinafter, is called the lead card and, all other cards of the same suit as the lead card originally turned face upward are also termed lead cards. These, lead cards, irrespective of their denomination, are of greater value than the other cards in the deck. What wouldbe termed a trick in known card games, in the present game, is known as a payment. As'will appear hereinafter, it is one of the objects of this game to expose certain combinations of cards of counting value, and any such combination is spoken of as the recording of an announcement.

The pac7c.-The pack is composed of fifty six-cards and contains four suits, the suits being indicated distinctively by suitable colors,---such as blue, red, green and yellow. in each suit there are fourteen cards made up of duplicate cards of varyingdenominations, such as are illustrated in the drawings: appointment,visiting property, contract, deposit, sale, house and mortgage, the face of each card bearing a suitable pictorial representation of the term employed.

Rank of the cm'(Zs.Each of the seven duplicate cards of each suitof the deck is given a value with respect to each of the re maining six cards so that the relative denominations of the cards of each suit and of each card with respect to other cards of play. In the preferred form of the game the cards are considered as having the following relative values: house (high), sale, contract, deposit, visiting property, appointment, mortgage (low). By reason of the duplication in each suit of the seven cards referred to, it may be that two cards of equal value will fall on the same payment. In such a case, the card first led will be considered of higher value.

1 The terms and general characteristics of this real estate game, in so far as they are applicable generally to games played by two, four, or six people, have been set out above, but since a game played by two persons diifersin some respects from that played by four or six persons, it is believed that the remaining description will be facilitated by a direct reference now to a two-handed game.

Dealing-The cards are dealt alternately to the two salesmen until a mortgage card of any suit is turned face upward, whereupon the salesman receiving such mortgage card becomes the broker and deals the cards, one or two at a time until fourteen cards have been given to each salesman. Thenext (29th) card is turned face upward and is the lead card, which is to say, that every other card of the same suit is of higher value than the cards of the three remaining suits, irrespective'of the relative denominations. The balance of the pack is placed face downward on the table and the lead card is placed beside it face upward.

Objects of the gazme.-The game has two general objects, one of which is to hold certain combinations of cards, such as are listed in the following table and for which combinations are credited the number of points set opposite each, and the other is to take in as many payments as possible, each payment adding ten points to the takers score. The combinations of cards for which points are given are as follows, the letters used corresponding to those applied to the correspond ing cards as illustrated in the drawings:

- Points. A, V P, C and S of lead suit designated as a sale 800 A, V P, O and S of any other suit designated as a sale 200 M and H of lead suit designated as mortgage on house 100 Four sale cards (one each of the four suits) designated as deposit on four sales v 80 D and S of lead suit designated as deposit on sale. 6O Mhand H of any one plain suit designated as mortgage on ouse a D and C of lead suit designated as deposit on contract 40 D and Sof anyone plain suit designated as deposit on sale.. 30 D and C of any one plain suit designated as deposit on contract The pZa:y.-After determining who is to deal and dealing, 1n the manner descrlbed, the salesman opposite the broker leads any card and the broker plays any card 0111i). It 1s not necessary 1n the real. estate game to follow sult, even when a lead card 1s played, until after that port1on of the deck which remains face downward on the table 1s exhausted by the drawing of cards therefrom, in accordance wlth the procedure to be polnted out later. The card of hlgher denomlnation of the sult led takes the payment always unless a lead card 1s played by one of the salesmen, in which case the salesman playing the lead card takes the payment.

As noted before if two cards of equal denomination are placed on the same payment, the salesman who first played that card takes the payment. If either oneof the salesmen holds the mortgage card of the same suit as the lead card turned up, he

may exchange any card in his hand for the lead card thus turned up, as soon as he has taken in a payment. Likewise, either salesman hasthe privllegeof recording an announcement'each time he takes in a payment, but such an announcement must be recorded before he draws a card from that portion of the deck which remains face downward on the. table, it being understood thatsuch a card is drawn by each salesman after each payment is taken, until theentire deck is exhausted. In recording an announcement, the salesman observes that he holds in his hands one of the combinations listed in the table above, whereupornwhenever he takes in a payment, he places the cards of such combination of counting value face upward upon the table and is immediately credited with the number of points which this particular combination entitles him to, as shown by saidtable. The cards comprising the announcements. thus recorded may be led or played on'subsequent payments as desired by the salesman to whom they belong. The play continues by the salesman recording an announcement wherever possible, taking in payments, and drawing a card after each payment is takenfrom that portion of the deck which remains face downward on the table until all of such last named cards are drawn, whereupon the second salesman playing on each payment must not only follow suit but must take the payment if possible. Moreover if the second salesman doesnot hold a card of the suit led, then he must place on the payment a lead card, if possible, it being compulsory that each salesman must attempt to take each payment after the deck is exhausted by drawing.

The game.The game is won by the salesman first credited with 1500 points. In keeping score, each salesman is creditedwith the Value of the announcements recorded from time to time, in accordance with the listed value of such announcements as set forth hereinbefore, and is credited further with 10 points for each payment taken. Total payments 28:280 points.

Four-handed game. DeaZing.-In this game the broker is determined in the same manner as in the twohanded game. After the broker shuffles the cards, the salesman to his right cuts them in the usual manner and'draws one card which he turns up on the table as the lead card. The broker then deals out one, two or four cards at a time to each of the salesmen until the deck is exhausted.

The PZa1l .In this four-handed real estate game, unlike other card games, each salesman plays for himself. After the cards have been dealt, the salesman to the left of the broker has the privilege of exchanging any card in his hand for the lead card turned up, provided that he has the mortgage of such lead card. In case he cannot exercise this privilege, the salesman to his left has the same privilege and so on until such privilege is exercised. As soon as the privilege referred to has been exercised, the salesmen record immediately all their announcements by laying their cards down on the table in combinations of counting value according to the table set forth hereinbefore.

They are accredited immediately with points on their scores in accordance with the announcements recorded. The cards are then taken back into the hands of the respective salesmen and. played out in the same manner as in the two-handed game after that portion of the deck which remains face downward on the table is exhausted by drawing in the two-handed game. It will be remembered that after such deck is exhausted in the two-handed game, each salesman must follow suit if possible and if he cannot follow suit he must place a lead card on the payment, if possible, it being compulsory upon each salesman to try to take each payment.

The game.-ln the four-handed game the score is composed of the points credited by reason of the announcements recorded in accordance with the listed value of such announcements and to such points are added the points scored through the taking of payments, each payment in the four-handed game counting 20 points. The game, like the two-handed game, is 1500 points.

Sim-handed game.

This game is played in all respects as the four-handed game except that nine cards are dealt to each of the salesmen, the two remaining cards being discarded. In scoring the points, each payment counts 30 points and in addition the salesman taking the last payment is entitled to 10 extra points on his score.

Auction real estate.

Whenever, in any of the above described games, the house is turned up for the lead card, then the game immediately resolves itself into what is termed auction real estate. In this case, the broker immediately becomes the auctioneer and asks the remaining salesmen, What am I bid? The salesmen then bid on their hands (not necessarily in rotation) according to the number of points which they estimate they can score, disregarding, of course, the lead card. The salesman contracting to score the highest number of points has the privilege of naming the suit which is to constitute the lead during the game and in addition, may exchange any card in his hand for the card originally turned face upward on the table. The game is then played as hereinbefore described, the points being scored in the same manner and in accordance with the number of persons playing. The broker, who, as explained, hecomes the auctioneer in this game, is not entitled to a bid, but may, of course, score his points as do the other salesmen. In case the salesman who bids the highest does not make as many points as he contracted to make, then the amount of his bid is deducted from his score and credited to the auctioneer.

The game herein described presents two novel features, in that it is a card game adapted to be played with cards bearing pictorial illustrations representing various transactions in the real estate business, and further is played in a new and distinctive manner, making it a new game in itself irrespective of the character of the cards employed. F or these reasons the invention is not to be limited to cards provided with the precise illustrations herein depicted but embraces as well a game played with cards substantially in the manner described.

I claim as my invention:

1. A game apparatus comprising cards having pictorial illustrations thereon representing phases of the real estate business, such as, a house, a mortgage, a contract, a deposit, a sale, an appointment and the visiting of property, each of said cards having a distinguishing suit symbol thereon, as and for the purpose specified.

2. A game apparatus comprising cards having pictorial illustrations thereon repre senting phases of the real estate business, such as, a house, a mortgage, a contract, a deposit, a sale, an appointment and the visiting of roperty, each of said cards having a letter of the alphabet and having a distinguishing suit symbol thereon, as and for the purpose specified.

3. A game apparatus comprising cards having pictorial illustrations thereon representing respectively phases in connection with the real estate business such as a house, a mortgage, a contract, a deposit, a sale, an appointment and the visiting of property, as and for the purpose specified.

4c. A game apparatus played with cards having pictorial illustrations thereon representing phases of the real estate business such as, a house, a mortgage, a contract, a deposit, a sale, an appointment and the visiting of property, and on each of which is a distinguishing suit symbol, in which the relative denominations of the cards are fixed and in which certain combinations of the cards have a counting value, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this fifth day of March. A. D. 191%.

WILLIAM H. JAMER.

Signed in the presence of ELLA J. KRUGER, WORTI-IINGTON CAMPBELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

